Tigers' offense doesn't lend much support to Justin Verlander in 2-1 loss to Yankees

AP PhotoDetroit's Justin Verlander delivers a pitch against the New York Yankees on Saturday.

NEW YORK -- Justin Verlander said he didn't think Alex Rodriguez's home run was going to reach the seats. But the high fly ball fell into the second row beyond the cozy right field wall to break the ice in the seventh inning.

Verlander and CC Sabathia had hooked up for six scoreless innings Saturday afternoon, but Rodriguez's 18th homer of the season was followed by one run that scored on an infield hit by Melky Cabrera and was enough for a 2-1 Yankees' victory.

"It was very frustrating," Verlander (10-5) said. "I'm trying to take the positives away from it, but it's difficult to throw the ball the way I did today and come away with a loss."

There was little margin for error, what with the Tigers unable to get the big hit against Sabathia (9-6), who survived some early laboring to pitch seven innings of five-hit scoreless ball.

"That killed us," Detroit manager Jim Leyland said. "We had CC on the ropes a few times and couldn't capitalize. Most people talk about guys who have high on-base percentages, but I'd rather take the guy who will drive them in.

TRACKING THE TIGERS

Saturday's game: Justin Verlander pitched six shutout innings, but gave up a solo home run to Alex Rodriguez and another run in the seventh inning of a 2-1 loss to the New York Yankees.

Record: 48-41

Verlander strikeout total: Verlander struck out six (getting Mark Teixeira twice) to run his total to 155. He trails only Tim Lincecum of the San Francisco Giants, who got 10 in his first start after the All-Star break for 159.

Key stat: The Yankees, now 4-1 against the Tigers this year, secured the regular season series against them for the first time since 2006. New York also is an impressive 18-5 against the American League Central.

"All we need is a lousy single here and there and we probably win the game. We just couldn't do it."

Verlander gave up three hits and one walk in six innings. In the sixth inning, he struck out No. 3 hitter Mark Teixeira after Johnny Damon's two-out double. He also got Rodriguez and Hideki Matsui with two on in the fourth.

"I thought he did a great job," Leyland said. "To come into this environment and do what he did with that lineup was tremendous. I thought that (Gerald) Laird did a great job calling the game as well. The combination of the two today was really impressive."

Verlander credited Sabathia for "pitching against the same elements, the same ballpark." But all he could do on the mound was smile and wonder when Rodriguez's 571st career homer surprised him by reaching the short seats in right.

A Yankees spokesman said the club does not release homer distances and didn't have a distance for that section of the wall. It is 314 feet in the corner and 385 in right-center, and the homer landed much closer to the corner.

"Unfortunately, it came into play in the seventh inning of a scoreless game," said Verlander, who had 13 scoreless innings against the Yankees this season end with that homer. "I'd rather have somebody hit the ball 10 miles than that."

Asked how many parks the ball would have gone out at, right fielder Magglio Ordonez said, "Not many."

Marcus Thames hit a solo homer in the eighth inning off reliever Alfredo Aceves that landed in the front row of the hitter-generous area in left. But Mariano Rivera closed it out in the ninth inning for his 25th save and 507th of his career.

Sabathia did his best pitching under pressure, and stranded seven baserunners.

The Tigers had runners on second and third in the sixth inning, when Ordonez shot an opposite-field double to the right field corner. That was as ripe as Sabathia was for the picking, but Ryan Raburn popped out to shallow left field and Brandon Inge popped up to second base.

"I sat on an off-speed pitch and I just didn't get it done," Inge said. "I got the pitch I wanted (a changeup) out over the plate. But I got under it. If I don't get under it, I hit it into the seats in right field."

Detroit had runners on second and third with two outs in the second, but Curtis Granderson went down swinging.

Leyland's solution for the struggles in tight spots: "Concentration and relaxation is a pretty good formula." But instead the Tigers continue gripping the bat for dear life in such spots and missing their pitches.

Sabathia struggled with 51 pitches the first two innings, but settled down to stay in the game. He required only 63 pitches in his final five innings.